Mechanized structures for the launch of cars in installations for amusement parks such as, for instance, roller coasters or similar attractions

ABSTRACT

Mechanized structures for the launch of cars in installations for amusement parks such as, for instance, roller coasters or similar attractions. This is a mechanical system so as to launch cars by exploiting the energy stored by a counterweight pivoting around an axis. The counterweight is integral with a beam which carries, on the other end, a pushing device which, when it has to give the push, leans against the rear of any car of the train and pushes it along a semicircular track of launch and then it leaves said car. During pushing phase the counterweight loses the stored energy and slows down till it stops while the cars accelerate towards the predetermined track. To allow the counterweight to store again potential energy, an electromechanical transmission with low power is sufficient; said transmission, in much longer time, brings back the counterweight to the highest point ready for a new launch at high acceleration which, differently, would need a much higher power.

[0001] The present invention proposes a mechanized structure for thelaunch of cars along the track of an attraction for amusement parks,such as, for instance, roller coasters or other similar attractions,which replaces the inclined plane of the ascending gradient oftraditional roller coasters—with chains or steel cables and consequentlifting mechanical transmission—in which, at the peak, cars absorb thepotential energy necessary to keep on travelling along the predetermineddescending track.

[0002] The proposed mechanized structure comprises a mechanical launchdevice in which a Counterweight is fixed on the end of an adequate beam.On the other end the Pushing Device has been fixed. Said beam istransversally pivoted with a rotating axle which rests, with its ends,on two supports, provided with adequate roller bearings; said supportsare fixed onto the upper ends of two columns fixed in the form of upsidedown V.

[0003] The pushing device is shaped so as to adapt itself to the rear ofthe last car chassis (it could be the rear of any car) so that themovement of the beam pushes the train of vehicles. The rotation movementof the beam is possible thanks to two factors: the action of amechanical transmission or the descending movement of the counterweightwhen it has its barycentre out of the vertical. Said counterweightabsorbs potential energy when it is brought up to the highest point. Themechanical transmission, which has this task, is formed by amotor-reduction gear; over its slow shaft a pinion has been fitted; saidpinion engages with the gear wheel which, in a certain manner, is fixedon the rotating axle. The counterweight brought up to the highest point,the superior dead point (maximum potential energy), pushes the pushingdevice into contact with the last car chassis (the last car has beenconsidered for greater convenience and in accordance with the drawings).

[0004] The shifting of the counterweight barycentre from its balancingposition (s.d.p.) is due to the action of the mechanical transmission.Preferably, said transmission is physically mounted on one side of therotating axle, while, on the other side, a brake has been fixed. Saidbrake, preferably disk brake, appropriately chosen and dimensioned, hasthe task to keep blocked the rotating axle in any position even with themaximum unbalancing.

[0005] A slight rotation of the rotating axle pushes the counterweightbarycentre out of the vertical axis so causing the acceleration of saidcounterweight as a pendulum pushed by gravity force. Consequently, thetrain of vehicles, which before was still, begins to accelerate andcontinues till when the counterweight achieves the inferior dead point(i.d.p.). As a result the movement of the train of vehicles is due tothe pushing device which travels in concentric manner compared to thetrack of the ride.

[0006] When the counterweight passes through the inferior dead pointthere are the following actions:

[0007] the motion of the counterweight itself begins to slow down;

[0008] the train of vehicles achieves the maximum speed preferably atthe highest point of the trace of track designed for the launch (arc ofvertical circumference or other plane);

[0009] the train of vehicles arrives on the trace of track coming outfrom the tangent to the arc of circumference and achieves thepredetermined track at maximum speed;

[0010] the pushing device detaches from the train of vehicles since thetrain keeps on accelerating while the counterweight begins todecelerate; said counterweight has in fact begun the ascending or,however, the predetermined slowing down phase.

[0011] Said counterweight has lost part of its energy by pushing thetrain of vehicles; it loses other energy while re-ascending and, inconsequence, it will stop when it will achieve the approximatelyhorizontal position (compared with the beam axis parallel to theground). In that precise moment the brake described above retains thecounterweight in that position and it prevents said counterweight fromfalling and the consequent pendulum-like movement.

[0012] The engine of the mechanical transmission will then slowly bringback the counterweight to the superior dead point (s.d.p.) preparing itfor a new cycle. For many years in this type of attractions (rollercoasters and similar installations) cars were slowly lifted along aninclined trace of track, towing them to the peak of the ride by means ofchains, cables or similar mechanisms, and then, said cars were releasedto freely continue the descending trace where they absorbed the requiredenergy to pass through the subsequent ascending-descending gradients andso complete the circuit.

[0013] Research of new solutions and endless demand of new emotions bypassengers have pushed engineers to develop new installations in whichcars were lifted along a nearly vertical track, or, namely,installations in which cars absorbed enormous pushes with consequenthigh accelerations already starting from ascending phase or launch. As aresult said installations need enormous power—even some Megawatt—andtheir manufacture and subsequent maintenance are very expensive.

[0014] The present invention, which is situated in this field not onlyfor these reasons, proposes an installation for the launch of cars alongan initial track with vertical semi-circumference, or other planes,which, in order to give to cars the required and needed accelerations,uses a device with rotating counterweight which, after having launchedsaid cars and while they complete the circuit, is brought, at low speed,to the starting position by means of little dimension and low powerequipments.

[0015] Obviously, as a result, a substantial energy saving is achieved.

[0016] The following detailed description of the present invention,given by way of example, refers to the drawings in which:

[0017]FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the installation according to theinvention during stable equilibrium phase;

[0018]FIG. 2 shows the installation in the starting position of launch;

[0019]FIG. 3 shows the installation when the counterweight is giving tothe train of vehicles, more or less, the maximum acceleration;

[0020]FIG. 4 shows the installation when the counterweight has come downto the inferior dead point by giving to the train of vehicles themaximum speed so that cars detach from the pushing device to freelytravel along the predetermined track;

[0021]FIG. 5 shows the beam position after having pushed the train and,in consequence, having lost its kinetic energy. In this precise positionsaid beam is retained by the mechanical transmission by means of thegear wheel and the pinion and, at the same time, by means of the brakefixed on the other side of the rotating axle.

[0022] With reference to the drawings, with =1= is represented the trackon which the train of vehicles, shown as a whole with =2=, moves; with=3= the rotating beam which carries on its ends the counterweight andthe pushing device; with =4= the counterweight; with =5= the pushingdevice; with =6= the gear wheel which allows the rotating axle to pivot;with =7= the mechanical transmission of the motor-reduction gear; overits slow shaft a pinion has been fitted; said pinion engages with thegear wheel; with =8= the disk brake; with =9= the rotating axle.

[0023] With =A=the first substantially horizontal trace of track whichis part of the station of departure, or station for the embarkation ofpassengers. With =B= the second trace with vertical semicircle on whicha significant speed with high acceleration is supplied to the train ofvehicles, said speed is sufficient to continue the motion along thetrack. With =C= the initial trace of the predetermined track which candiffer from attraction to attraction.

[0024] On the first trace =A=, or station of departure, the train ofvehicles is pushed by means of, for instance, one or more pneumaticwheels driven by motor-reduction gears mounted on the track to achievethe position shown in FIG. 2.

[0025] The functioning is the following.

[0026] The train of vehicles, at the end of each course, arrives at thestation of departure as shown in FIG. 1 waiting for a new cycle. In thisphase the beam =3= with the counterweight =4= and the pushing device =5=are in the position according to the illustration in FIG. 5.

[0027] After the embarkation of passengers on the cars, the staff givethe start and there are the following actions:

[0028] i. propulsion of the train of vehicle, preferably by means ofpneumatic wheels, from the embarkation station to the position ofbeginning of push, see FIG. 2, and there, said train stops waiting forthe pushing device;

[0029] ii. opening of the brake on the rotating axle;

[0030] iii. starting of the mechanical transmission which moves the beamwith the counterweight which shifts from the position represented inFIG. 5 to that shown in FIG. 2, that is, with the pushing device intocontact with the last car or, however, any other car;

[0031] iv. continuation of the pushing action by the mechanicaltransmission on the rotating axle which brings the counterweight out ofthe superior dead point position and, therefore, said counterweightbegins the phase of push of the train of vehicles with naturalacceleration and, consequently, speed increase of the train itself; saidtrain, passing at a significant speed through the position shown in FIG.3, achieves the position represented in FIG. 4 where the counterweighthas reached the inferior dead point beyond which the deceleration phasebegins. On the contrary, the train of vehicles begins the descendingtrack increasing its speed. This difference of speed separates thepushing device and the last car and, therefore, the counterweight,slowing down its motion due to energy loss, arrives slowly at theposition represented in FIG. 5 and there said counterweight is retainedby the brake fixed on the rotating axle waiting for the beginning of anew cycle;

[0032] v. the train continues its course and it stops at the positionshown in FIG. 1.

[0033] Thanks to this system it is possible to lower to the minimum thenecessary power without reducing the acceleration features which have tobe given to the train since the counterweight system allows to supplyrapidly all the necessary energy and after said counterweight recoversit in much longer time (in a normal cycle: while the train of vehiclestravels on the trace of the track) by using the mechanical transmissionprovided with power engine of much lower dimension.

[0034] The system described above offers many advantages since:

[0035] it is possible to launch on the track a train of vehicles atsignificant speed and high acceleration by exploiting, to supply thenecessary power, the drop of the counterweight which then stops at theright point due to natural stop, without energy consumption;

[0036] before a new launch the counterweight has to be brought up to itsposition; however, having at disposal the time during which the train ofvehicles completes its course, it is possible to benefit of all thistime and therefore of a much lower power with enormous advantages on theeconomic level.

[0037] Numerous variants can be envisaged. However said variants have tobe included in the field of the present invention.

1. Installation for the launch of cars or trains of vehicles inattractions for amusement parks such as roller coasters or similarattractions in which the track of launch comprises an initial trace witharc of circumference substantially vertically developed, or, however onany other plane, on which the necessary speed is supplied to the cars sothat they can complete the circuit due to inertia, characterized in thatit comprises: means so as to push the cars on the trace of launch at thebeginning of the course; a counterweight so as to drive said means toprovide the cars with the necessary acceleration and speed to completethe circuit; means so as to bring up to the highest point saidcounterweight while the train of vehicles is completing its course. 2.Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises,so as to provide the cars with the required acceleration and thenecessary speed to achieve the peak (end of the track of launch andbeginning of the track due to inertia) and to complete the circuit, acounterweight driving the pushing means which involve the cars. 3.Installation according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that saidcounterweight moves a beam pivoted on a rotating axle, on which, at theopposite end of that of the counterweight, is mounted a pushing deviceprovided with means so as to push the cars to the highest point and leadthem to the predetermined track.
 4. Installation according to claim 3,characterized in that said pushing device, in consequence to thecounterweight motion, continues along a certain trace its course afterthat the cars have reached the entrance point on the predeterminedtrack, being foreseen means so as to block and later retain, in acertain manner, the counterweight motion when the cars enter thepredetermined track to allow them to detach from the pushing device. 5.Installation according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprisesretention means preferably formed by disk brakes fixed on any part ofthe mechanical transmission.
 6. Installation according to claim 4,characterized in that it comprises a device so as to prevent thecounterweight from rotating in the contrary direction compared with thatof launch of the train of vehicles.
 7. Installation for the launch ofvehicles in attractions for amusement parks as described and shownabove.